This case report details a 61-year-old man's overdose on oral minoxidil, resulting in systemic side effects like hypotension and edema, which resolved without intervention; similar symptoms were observed in 14 other patients after minoxidil ingestion.
May 2025 in “European Journal of Case Reports in Internal Medicine” In this case report, an 81-year-old male with chronic kidney disease developed cardiac tamponade while on minoxidil for hypertension, highlighting the rare but serious risk of pericardial effusion from this medication and emphasizing the need for vigilant monitoring, especially in vulnerable patients.
March 2025 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology” Systemic minoxidil improves hair density in women with female pattern hair loss over time.
In this randomized, controlled trial, the researchers observed that sub-lingual minoxidil at doses of 1.35 mg and 4.05 mg, but not 0.45 mg, significantly increased hair fibre diameter in men with male androgenetic alopecia over 24 weeks, suggesting a dose-dependent reversal of follicle miniaturization.
December 2024 in “Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology” This study found that both sublingual and oral minoxidil at 5 mg per day increased hair density similarly in men with androgenetic alopecia over 24 weeks, but sublingual administration was associated with fewer palpitations.
November 2024 in “Skin Health and Disease” This review suggests that while minoxidil is effective in promoting hair growth, its precise mechanism remains unclear, and it may have emerging applications in treating various dermatological conditions.
In this case report, a young female who unintentionally ingested topical minoxidil experienced severe circulatory shock and acute pulmonary edema, emphasizing the need for immediate treatment with fluid resuscitation and vasopressors.
July 2024 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology” Low-dose oral minoxidil is generally safe for hypertensive patients with hair loss.
In this case report, a 23-year-old man experienced dizziness, blurred vision, malaise, and fatigue after excessive use of topical minoxidil for three days, with symptoms resolving once minoxidil was discontinued.
May 2024 in “Aesthetic plastic surgery” This meta-analysis suggests that combining platelet-rich plasma with minoxidil enhances hair growth and patient satisfaction more effectively than using either treatment alone for androgenetic alopecia.
May 2024 in “Journal of cosmetic dermatology” The study concluded that dutasteride 0.5 mg daily for 24 weeks was the most effective monotherapy for increasing hair density in men with androgenetic alopecia, compared to other interventions.
April 2024 in “JAMA dermatology” In this randomized clinical trial, oral minoxidil was not superior to topical minoxidil in increasing hair density in men with androgenetic alopecia over 24 weeks, though photographic analysis suggested oral minoxidil may work better on the vertex area of the scalp.
December 2023 in “Toxicology communications” This report describes a case of prolonged distributive shock attributed to minoxidil overdose, which involved intentional ingestion alongside trauma and NSAIDs, successfully managed with medications and hydration despite persistent low blood pressure.
November 2023 in “Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology” This study concluded that while both 5% topical and 1 mg oral minoxidil significantly improved hair diameter in androgenetic alopecia patients, there was no significant difference in overall effectiveness or patient satisfaction between the treatments.
February 2023 in “Clinical Toxicology” This letter to the editor raises concerns about minoxidil, an arterial vasodilator also used for androgenic alopecia, noting that overdose can cause severe side effects such as distributive shock, pulmonary edema, and myocardial ischemia.
11 citations
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February 2022 in “Actas Dermo-Sifiliográficas” This study reports serious adverse effects resulting from compounding errors when using low-dose oral minoxidil to treat alopecia.
3 citations
,
November 2021 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” This article discusses hormonal mechanisms underlying androgenetic alopecia but does not report any new findings; it reviews the roles of dihydrotestosterone and available FDA-approved treatments.
5 citations
,
September 2021 in “Dermatologic Therapy” In this triple-blind randomized clinical trial, researchers found that oral minoxidil 0.25 mg tablets were as effective as 2% topical minoxidil for increasing hair diameter and density in women with female pattern hair loss, with similarly minor side effects.
5 citations
,
August 2021 in “Journal of The European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology” In this phase 1B clinical trial, sublingual minoxidil was tested for its effects on male and female pattern hair loss in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled setting, but the abstract does not provide specific results or conclusions.
16 citations
,
June 2021 in “Journal of Dermatological Treatment” This study reported that while topical minoxidil exhibits hair regrowth in androgenetic alopecia, oral minoxidil 5 mg/day was more effective than topical forms after six months, with low doses also potentially effective for women and other hair loss types.
39 citations
,
February 2021 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” In this study, low-dose oral minoxidil for hair loss was associated with infrequent systemic adverse effects, and only 1.7% of patients discontinued treatment due to these effects.
7 citations
,
November 2020 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” This study found that low-dose oral minoxidil for androgenetic alopecia was associated with a higher incidence of hypertrichosis and edema compared to previous studies, but it remains a generally well-tolerated treatment option.
14 citations
,
August 2020 in “Dermatologic Therapy” This study reported that low-dose oral minoxidil is generally safe for treating various types of hair loss, though it may cause hypertrichosis and pedal edema, especially at higher doses.
7 citations
,
June 2020 in “Journal of The European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology” This article discusses the role of Minoxidil Sulfotransferase Enzyme (SULT1A1) genetic variants in predicting the response to oral minoxidil for treating female pattern hair loss, without presenting new research findings.
16 citations
,
May 2020 in “Journal of The European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology” This publication involves a case-series report on the treatment of male and female pattern hair loss using sublingual minoxidil in 64 patients, but it does not include an abstract or results.
8 citations
,
April 2020 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” This report describes nine women who were allergic to topical minoxidil but successfully tolerated low-dose oral minoxidil without significant adverse effects, suggesting it may be a viable alternative for those with similar allergies.
15 citations
,
April 2020 in “Journal of Dermatological Treatment” This study suggests platelet-rich plasma may be more effective than other non-surgical treatments for male androgenetic alopecia, while low-level laser therapy ranks highest for women; however, the evidence quality was low.
7 citations
,
January 2020 in “Journal of Dermatology” This study described specific skin and hair follicle abnormalities in three Japanese patients with Cantu syndrome, which may relate to the regulation role of SUR2 in hair follicle growth.
53 citations
,
August 2019 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” This study observed that low-dose oral minoxidil and topical minoxidil 5% solution both improved hair density in women with female-pattern hair loss, but oral minoxidil may offer advantages in reducing hair shedding.
9 citations
,
August 2019 in “Journal of The European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology” Minoxidil activation by hair enzymes predicts treatment success for female hair loss.
117 citations
,
August 2019 in “Drug Design Development and Therapy” This review article provides an updated overview of the pharmacology, mechanism of action, clinical efficacy, and adverse events associated with topical minoxidil, a widely used treatment for androgenetic alopecia and other hair loss conditions, while noting that its exact mechanism is still not fully understood.
52 citations
,
May 2019 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” This study evaluated the effectiveness and safety of low-dose oral minoxidil (2.5-5 mg daily) in men with male androgenetic alopecia, aiming to contribute data to an area with limited previous reports. Results are not provided in the abstract.
80 citations
,
December 2017 in “International Journal of Dermatology” This study reported that once-daily treatment with oral minoxidil and spironolactone for 12 months reduced hair loss severity and hair shedding in women with pattern hair loss, with generally mild side effects, though results came from an uncontrolled, observational pilot study.
153 citations
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March 2017 in “Endocrine” This review examines recent advances in understanding the pathophysiology and molecular mechanisms of androgenetic alopecia, highlighting two major genetic risk loci, but does not report new clinical findings.
5 citations
,
March 2016 in “Medical journal, Armed Forces India” This report describes a case of refractory shock and pulmonary edema resulting from the accidental ingestion of topical minoxidil, highlighting a rare instance of poisoning.
20 citations
,
September 2015 in “Journal of The European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology” This study found that 5% minoxidil topical foam was effective in stabilizing hair density and scalp coverage in men with moderate androgenetic alopecia over 104 weeks, with good safety and tolerability.
32 citations
,
June 2015 in “Dermatologic Therapy” In this study, finasteride was found to be more effective than 5% minoxidil for treating male androgenetic alopecia in Chinese patients, with combination therapy showing the greatest improvement.
93 citations
,
February 2015 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” This study suggests that oxidative stress may contribute to androgenetic alopecia by inducing premature senescence and secretion of hair growth inhibitors in dermal papilla cells from balding scalp.
20 citations
,
April 2014 in “Dermatologic Therapy” This study reported that sulfotransferase activity in plucked hair follicles can predict treatment response to 5% topical minoxidil in women with androgenetic alopecia with high sensitivity and specificity.
27 citations
,
November 2013 in “Dermatologic Therapy” This study suggests that a hair follicle enzyme assay may predict response to minoxidil treatment for androgenetic alopecia with high sensitivity and specificity in a preliminary analysis.
136 citations
,
January 2013 in “International Journal of Trichology” This study found that adding microneedling to minoxidil treatment significantly improved hair growth in men with androgenetic alopecia compared to minoxidil alone across all assessed measures.
112 citations
,
July 2012 in “The Journal of Sexual Medicine” In this study, 96% of men with persistent sexual side effects from finasteride reported continued dysfunction after discontinuation, suggesting these effects may endure long-term.
152 citations
,
April 2012 in “Recent Patents on Inflammation & Allergy Drug Discovery” This review describes minoxidil's hair regrowth mechanism and discusses dermatological applications, but reports no new clinical results, emphasizing the need for regular use and addressing allergic reactions.
100 citations
,
June 2011 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” This study found that a once-daily 5% minoxidil topical foam is as effective as a twice-daily 2% minoxidil topical solution for hair growth in women with androgenetic alopecia, with fewer side effects and greater styling convenience.
314 citations
,
April 2010 in “Developmental Cell” This study found that in mice, inactivating beta-catenin in the dermal papilla reduces hair follicle progenitor proliferation and disrupts the hair cycle.
34 citations
,
April 2009 in “Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy” This review discusses evidence-based treatments for common hair loss forms, noting robust support for androgenetic alopecia therapies but limited long-term data and fewer high-quality studies for alopecia areata and cicatricial alopecias.
4 citations
,
January 2009 in “International journal of trichology” Minoxidil topical foam is a better, less irritating treatment for hair loss.
111 citations
,
October 2008 in “Nature Genetics” In their study, Tim Spector and colleagues identified a new genetic association at chromosome 20p11.22 with male-pattern baldness, confirmed by the increased risk when combined with a known androgen receptor gene variant.
142 citations
,
August 2007 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” This study found that a new 5% minoxidil foam formulation significantly increased hair counts and improved hair loss condition in men with androgenetic alopecia over 16 weeks compared to placebo.
114 citations
,
October 2006 in “Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology” In this study, clobetasol propionate foam demonstrated effectiveness and good patient compliance as a safe topical treatment for moderate to severe alopecia areata, with significant hair regrowth compared to placebo.
195 citations
,
June 2005 in “American Journal of Human Genetics” Genetic variation in the androgen receptor gene mainly causes early-onset hair loss, with maternal inheritance playing a key role.
74 citations
,
May 2004 in “Journal of Clinical Hypertension” Minoxidil effectively treats severe hypertension, but watch for side effects.
219 citations
,
March 2004 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” In this 48-week trial, 5% topical minoxidil was more effective than both 2% minoxidil and placebo in promoting hair growth in women with female pattern hair loss, with notable improvements in nonvellus hair count and hair growth assessments.
149 citations
,
March 2004 in “Journal of Dermatological Science” This study found that minoxidil stimulates hair follicle growth by promoting dermal papilla cell survival and activating ERK and Akt pathways, which leads to increased proliferation and reduced cell death.
397 citations
,
February 2004 in “British Journal of Dermatology” This article reviews the mechanisms by which minoxidil stimulates hair growth and reports no new clinical findings.
63 citations
,
April 2003 in “Journal of The European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology” This study found that minoxidil topical solution was associated with a dose-related occurrence of hypertrichosis, especially facial hair, in women treated for androgenetic alopecia.
165 citations
,
December 2002 in “Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology” This study found that finasteride improves scalp hair growth in men with male pattern hair loss by reducing scalp dihydrotestosterone levels, but it did not benefit postmenopausal women with female pattern hair loss.
269 citations
,
August 2002 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” This study found that 5% topical minoxidil significantly increased hair regrowth and improved psychosocial perceptions of hair loss in men with androgenetic alopecia compared to 2% topical minoxidil and placebo over 48 weeks.
162 citations
,
August 2002 in “Survey of Ophthalmology” This study found that latanoprost induces significant growth and pigmentation of lashes and ancillary hairs, with effects mirroring both brief and chronic treatments observed in patients and animal models.
229 citations
,
August 2002 in “Experimental Gerontology” This paper discusses key mechanisms of androgen metabolism in androgenetic alopecia and reports the effectiveness of treatments like oral finasteride and topical minoxidil, highlighting the limited success rate due to factors like follicular inflammation.
226 citations
,
September 2001 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” Hair loss in women is genetic, diagnosed by examination and biopsy, and treated with minoxidil, finasteride, or transplantation.
520 citations
,
February 2001 in “Journal of Clinical Investigation” This study found that VEGF significantly enhances perifollicular vascularization during the hair growth phase, accelerating hair regrowth and increasing follicle and hair size, while its inhibition retards hair growth.
234 citations
,
February 2001 in “British Journal of Dermatology” FPHL affects hair density and diameter, causing visible hair loss in older women.
231 citations
,
December 1999 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” This study found that the volume of a hair follicle's dermal papilla is strongly correlated with its size, primarily due to the number of cells it contains and the volume of extracellular matrix.
12 citations
,
February 1999 in “British Journal of Dermatology” In this study, topical minoxidil was reported to increase fenestration in follicular capillary walls around anagen hair bulbs in male rats.
22 citations
,
January 1999 in “Journal of Toxicology Clinical Toxicology” This report describes the first documented case of an oral overdose of the extra strength 5% minoxidil solution, resulting in severe hypotension and requiring intensive medical intervention.
192 citations
,
March 1998 in “British Journal of Dermatology” This study found that minoxidil significantly increases VEGF mRNA and protein expression in dermal papilla cells, suggesting a role in enhancing hair follicle vascularization in androgenetic alopecia.
81 citations
,
February 1997 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” This study suggests that minoxidil activates PGHS-1, which may explain its hair growth-stimulating effects and could aid in designing more potent hair growth-promoting drugs.
12 citations
,
January 1995 in “British Journal of Plastic Surgery” 
34 citations
,
October 1994 in “Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences” This study found that increasing the proportion of ethanol in minoxidil formulations improved skin penetration in both in vitro and in vivo tests on mice.
309 citations
,
May 1993 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” This study concluded that horizontal sections of scalp biopsy specimens provide more diagnostic information for male pattern androgenetic alopecia than vertical sections and can predict hair regrowth potential following topical minoxidil therapy.
11 citations
,
April 1993 in “Chest” Man drank minoxidil, caused low blood pressure and fast heartbeat, treatment helped but led to heart damage.
192 citations
,
June 1992 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” Hair loss can cause low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression in men.
48 citations
,
June 1988 in “PubMed” In this study, minoxidil sulfate was found to relax norepinephrine-induced contractions in rabbit mesenteric arteries, possibly by acting as a K+ channel agonist, but it did not relax K+-induced contractions.
57 citations
,
January 1980 in “Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology” Minoxidil treats high blood pressure and side effects can be managed.
11 citations
,
January 1980 in “Southern Medical Journal” This study found that minoxidil effectively manages various types of severe hypertension but can cause side effects such as sodium retention and tachycardia.
